Tensions Cause Steady Tourism Decline

                                                  November 2012-April 2013

Continued tensions between Japan and China over the Daiyou/Senkaku issue have had a steady, negative impact on Japan-China tourism. Tensions began to rise in the autumn of 2012 when the Japanese government bought the Daiyou/Senkaku islands. This heated dispute, widely covered in the media, quickly had a massive, negative effect on tourism. China Daily quotes the Japan National Tourism Organization as posting a whopping 43.6% decline in Chinese tourists visiting Japan in November 2012. China Daily also reports a decline of 31% in Japanese tourist going to China in the same month.

 Although tensions have somewhat cooled of late, the negative effects on the tourism industry on both countries continues to be significant. Data from the Japan Tourism Marketing Co. for April 2013 shows a year-on-year drop of 33% of Chinese visitors to Japan and a year-on-year drop of 25.8% of Japanese visitors to China.

While the numbers are not encouraging to the tourism industry in either country, tourism overall remains robust in both countries. Observers say that the shortfall of Chinese tourists is somewhat offset by the increase in visitors for Taiwan, Thailand and Southeast Asia. As for the Chinese tourism industry, analysts are bullish on the growth of the industry between 2013-2017, particularly in the domestic sector.

Japan Tourism Marketing Co. (Visitor Data April 2013) http://www.tourism.jp/en/statistics/